Aval upma recipe – Also known as poha upma or atukula upma, this is one of the easiest and healthy South Indian Breakfast recipes made with parched rice or flattened rice. Poha or aval is used in many parts of India to make various dishes that are most commonly eaten for breakfast or snack.
Aval upma is the South Indian style of preparing poha and is a variation to the basic rava upma. This can be eaten with plain yogurt or with a cup of tea or coffee.
Making aval upma is very quick and just takes about 15 minutes. I have shared only the basic version here. You can also use mixed veggies to add some nutrition to the dish. Potatoes, peas, capsicum and carrots go well in this dish.
Poha upma can also be packed in the tiffin box for the kids or can be had for a after school snack. I have used white poha but it can be made using red poha too.
Please note that aval upma cannot be made with thin poha as they become soggy and mushy when rinsed. Thick or medium poha will give you a nice dish that is not mushy or too soft.
Contents
Preparation for poha upma
1. Add 2 cups poha to a bowl and rinse them well twice. Drain the water completely, cover and set aside to soften for 10 mins. Meanwhile prepare the following:
- 1 medium onion (slice or chop)
- 1 medium tomato (deseed and chop)
- 2 green chilies (chop or slit)
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated or minced (optional)
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves
2. After 10 mins, check the aval if they are soft. Press down a few flakes with your fingers. They should get mashed easily. Otherwise sprinkle some water, mix and rest until the tempering is ready.
See more: Ragi idli recipe
How to make aval upma
3. Pour 1½ tablespoon oil to a hot pan. Add
- 1 teaspoon chana dal
- 1 teaspoon urad dal
- 3 tablespoons peanuts. Fry them until the peanuts turn golden & aromatic. Then add
- ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds. When they splutter, add 1 pinch of hing.
4. Add green chilis, ginger, onions and curry leaves.
5. When the onions turn transparent, add chopped tomatoes, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon turmeric. You can also skip tomatoes and use lemon juice towards the end of making it. Fry until the tomatoes turn soft and mushy.
6. Add soaked poha, ¼ teaspoon more salt and 2 tablespoons coconut (optional).
7. Mix and cover. Steam cook on lowest heat till the aval upma turns hot. Turn off the stove. Taste test and add more salt if needed. Add lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve aval upma hot with curd or tea/coffee.
Aval upma recipe | Poha upma | How to make aval upma
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 2cupspohaor aval, atukulu, flattened rice (medium to thick)
- 1medium onionsliced thinly or chopped
- 1 mediumtomato chopped (optional)
- 2green chiliesslit or chopped
- 2tablespoonscoconut fresh grated (optional)
- 2tablespoonscoriander leavesfinely chopped
- ½ to ¾teaspoonsalt (adjust to taste)
- ¼teaspoonturmeric
- 1tablespoonslemon juice(adjust to taste) (optional)
Tempering ingredients
- 1½tablespoonsoil
- 1sprig curry leaves
- ¼teaspoonmustard seeds
- ½teaspooncumin seeds(jeera)
- 3tablespoonspeanutsor cashews
- 1teaspoonurad dal(black gram skinned & split)
- 1teaspoonchana dal(bengal gram) (optional)
- ⅛teaspoonasafoetida (hing) (optional)
Instructions
Preparation for aval upma
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Clean and rinse 2 cups aval thoroughly in enough water. Drain off the water completely and rinse again. Drain them again.
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Cover and set aside to soften until the onion,chilies and tomatoes are chopped.
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Check by pressing down a few grains of aval in between your fingers. They should be softened and get mashed easily. If they are still hard, then sprinkle little water and keep covered until the tempering is done.
Making poha upma
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Heat 1½ tablespoons oil in a pan. Then add 3 tablespoons peanuts, 1 teaspoon chana dal & 1 teaspoon urad dal.
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Fry till they turn golden and aromatic. Then add ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and ⅛ teaspoon hing.
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When the seeds pop, add 1 medium sliced onions, 2 slit green chilies and 1 sprig curry leaves. Fry till the onions become transparent.
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Add 1 medium chopped tomatoes, ¼ teaspoon turmeric and ¼ teaspoon salt.
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Fry till the tomatoes turn mushy and the raw smell of the tomatoes disappear.
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Add softened poha,¼ teaspoon more salt and 2 tablespoons coconut (optional). If the aval is too dry, then sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons water and mix. Mix and cover it.
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Steam cook them on a lowest heat until slightly hot. It takes about two minutes. Give a good mix in between.
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Turn off the stove and taste test it. Add more salt if needed. Also add some lemon juice and 2 tbsps coriander leaves.
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Serve aval upma hot with plain curd or tea.
Notes
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
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